In the interview, Yu Suzuki mentioned how Shenmue 3 is currently being debugged and tuned, meaning it’s unlikely the game will get delayed again. He also spoke about the demo certain Shenmue 3 backers will be able to play in September. Yu Suzuki mentioned this demo is exclusive to PC and there are no plans to distribute it on PS4.

In the interview, Yu Suzuki also mentioned that Shenmue 3‘s main story will take from 35 to 40 hours to complete. In the past, around two years ago, he said the game would be around 50 hours long, but this ended up being readjusted as development went on. However, he added that the game’s main story will take you around 50 hours to complete if you play in Challenge difficulty. And you’ll be able to play it much more if you try to do everything and play at your own pace. The playtime will differ depending on your playstyle, and simply rushing the main story “won’t let you see even 30% of Shenmue III“.

Storywise, Yu Suzuki hinted at something pretty big. He reiterated that Shenmue III won’t finish the whole story, but we’ll learn much more about Ryo’s father Iwao and what did he do in China in the past. we’ll also learn more on the mirrors and the Sword of the Seven Stars. And most notably, Yu Suzuki hinted that we might get to see Ryo and Lan Di settle the score in some way:

Famitsu As of Shenmue II, there are still many story elements left hanging. Ryo’s main objective is getting vengeance on Lan Di and that hasn’t happened yet. We still don’t know much about the Mirrors and the Sword of Seven Stars which are connected to all this. We don’t know what Ryo’s father’s Iwao did in China in the past too…Yu Suzuki:Shenmue is the type of story where more and more mysteries get piled up as it goes on (laughs). But if I keep doing this, it’ll never end. So in Shenmue III, at Bailu village, you’ll learn about what Iwao did in China and the truth about why Lan Di killed him. The mystery behind the mirrors and the sword will be gradually revealed as well.Famitsu: I see.Yu Suzuki: Shenmue‘s main character Ryo is traveling to get revenge against Lan Di, who killed his father. So you thought the story would end with him getting revenge, right?Famitsu: Wow, are you implying Shenmue III will feature Ryo settling the score with Lan Di!? Oh, but wait, the story will keep going after this?Yu Suzuki: Yes. But well, maybe I shouldn’t have said all that.Famitsu: Wait, will it really happen or not (laughs)

Yu Suzuki didn’t clarify whether we’ll really get to see Ryo and Lan Di settle the score or not after that.

Lastly, Yu Suzuki mentioned how they want to let Japanese fans try out the game before release and hinted Shenmue III will probably be playable at Tokyo Game Show 2019 in September.